Rocking device



y 30, 1933 H. N. HULANDER ET AL 1,572

ROCKING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1929 INVENTORS Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES ears OFFICE HEN RY N. HULANDER AND CARL F. W. FORSSBERG, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW'YORK ROCKING DEVICE Application filed March 9,

This invention relates to rocking devices for exercise and amusement which are equipped with fixed or slidable seat boards, supports for the feet of a user and end legs for holding the devices stationary in either horizontal or inclined positions, there being appropriate levers for controlling the end legs to withdraw or project them.

The main object of our invention is to provide apparatus of the character indicated with supporting end legs and one or two levers for raising and lowering legs simultaneously at both ends of such apparatus, or controlling the legs at either end independently whilethe operator is seated upon the apparatus. v 7

Another object of our invention is to provide a slidable seat upon such apparatus which may be provided with proper resistance to sliding movement whereby to promote profitable exercises upon said apparatus.

A further object is to greatly improve stirrup or support structure for the feet in order to render the same very steady and at the same time universally adjustable to any person.

Other objects and the various advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter as this specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing forming part hereof,

Fig. 1 is a view of an apparatus made according to our invention and embodying the mean principles thereof, and is shown in rigid stationary position for mounting or demounting purposes, the apparatus being provided with a slidable seat.

Fig. 2 is another view of the same apparatus in an inclined position, one lever and corresponding pair of legs being in altered positions to determine said inclined position while the other lever and its corresponding legs are in normal positionsfor horizontal position of the apparatus, although indicated in dotted lines as movable to proper supporting position for cooperation with the other legs to determine said inclined position of the whole.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View of the two 1929. Serial N0. 345,871.

lever systems of the device shown in Figs.

7 and 8. 7 p 7 Fig. 4 is atop plan view of the same device as a whole.

Throu hout the views the same reference construction may be includedrat will. The boards are supported upon runners 49, and the board 45 has a plurality of sliding blocks similar to 59 and which are slidable upon While it is usual I have been omitted for clarity, although such horizontal bars similar to 50, each of which is supported by an end post 51 and a center post 52 and its superposed casting 53. The narrow board 46 is also supported on said casting 53 and reinforced beneath by one or; a pair of members similar to 48, the forward broad end- 47 being borne by the posts 54. The bars 50 may have springs 61 and 78 mounted thereon to provide resistance, to sliding movement of the seat 45, or other; springs may be used for said purpose, so that beneficial exercise may be had in inclined positions of the device from their use.- In order to provide various inclined positions, as already mentioned, there are here included two separate handles 57 and 58 for independently controlling a pair of rear legs 55 and a pair of front legs 56, respectively. Brackets similar to 67 may be secured to the bars 50 for supporting bell crank 68 and brackets 72 secured to parts'48 for supporting bell crank 73. The handle 57 is secured to a shaftv 64 which bears a rigid lever 84 connected to a link 66 whose outer end is.

connected to the crank 68. This crank is lever 85 connected to a link 77 whose outer end is connected to the bell crank 7 3. The other end of this crank is connected to a link 74 which in turn is connected to a lug 75 upon the connecting bar 89 of the front legs 56, being pivoted at 7 6.

The handles have each several apertures to determine their relative positions at 62, 63 and may be similar in construction and individual operation as handle 35 with its knob 37. If the handle 57 is shifted to the aperture 62, the legs 55 will assume the partly raised position shown in Fig. 8, permitting an inclined position such as there shown. This causes the slidable seat 45 to gravitate against the springs 61 and if an operator is then seated upon 45, a certain amount of efiort is necessary to draw the seat upward against the force of gravity and in addition, against the springs 78, if included in the structure. In order to fix said inclined position, the other handle 58 may be shifted to the position 82 indicated in Fig. 8 to register with the aperture 83, which shifting will also change the positions of bell crank 73, link '74 and legs 56 to indicated positions 79, and 81, respectively. The front legs thus are moved to floor engaging position to correspond with the angle produced by the rear legs 55. Naturally, the front legs may also be similarly moved to produce a forward inclination of the device and the rear legs correspondingly moved to fit the angle, also the legs mayiin either case be moved further or less than these indicated distances in order to produce greater or lesser degrees of inclination, either forward or backward, and corresponding apertures in increased number may therefore be made in casting or member 53. The levers s4 and 85 may beprovided with abutments for mutual obstructive engagement so relatively arranged as to always provide the proper relative contact of the two pairs of legs with the floor so as to eliminate possibility of moving up one pair too far or too little in order to take up the angle produced by the other pair. It is therefore desirable that when one pair has been moved or shifted to either horizontal position or to produce aninclined position of the device as a whole, the other handle is moved until blocked by the first handle, the two projections 86 and 87 being then in proper contact to produce the correct final position and relations. It is also obvious that when the seat 45 is slid in either direction, the slot 90 therein will accommodate the end of the narrow section 46 of the'seat 47 and permit seat 45 to support a person in sliding movement and in all positions and inclinations of the device.

Having now fully described our invention, we claim l. A rocking device having a frame ineluding a pair of curved runners and a pair of seat supports upon said frame, a seat slidably mounted upon said seat supports, resilient means associated with said seat supports abutting said seat before and behind 70 bers forming parts of said frame, a seat" slidably mounted upon said support members, and separate levers and link systems arranged upon said device and connected to said pairs of legs whereby the same may be swung up from contact with the floor down to the same in varying degrees so that said device may be both tilted and supported by one pair of legs and the other pair swung to prevent return or rocking of said device in the direction remotefrom said first pair of legs when said seat is slid back and forth upon said support members.

3. In a rocking device of the character described, the combination, with a pair of curved runners and a frame including a pair of normally horizontal support members, of a pair of simultaneously swingable legs supported adjacent each end of said runners, a distinct lever and link system upon said device connected to each pair'of legs whereby to swing the same down to the floor or up from the same at will, and means associated with said systems whereby one system forms a limit to the operation of the other in order to provide for one pair of legs being swung down solely to the de ree necessary to correspond with the same angle of said device as a whole with respect to the floor attained bythe other pair of legs.

i. The combination, in a device of the character indicated, with a pair of runners and a frame including a pair of normally horizontal support members, of al freely slidable seat mounted on said support members, a pair of swingable legs arranged adjacent each end of said runners, a pair of shafts mounted on said device having a hand lever upon-each, lmk means connecting said shafts individually to said pairs of legs whereby to independently swing each pair, and means for limiting the movements of one pair of legs with respect to the other pair in order to provide for one pair merely following up the other so as to provide defi-,

nite angles of inclination for said device as a whole, including a pair of members mounted upon said shafts and arranged to make obstructive contact with each other and prevent rotation of one shaft beyond any point in one direction determined by the position of the other shaft When said latter shaft has been operated to swing down the pair of legs controlled thereby.

HENRY N. HULANDER.

CARL F. WM. FORSSBERG. 

